Beet topper and loader.



R. GRAUER.

BBET TOPPER AND LOADER. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23, 1910.

1,057,636. Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

I, $1.. 1:.- lflMI/lfi/ZZval/11111111011111a (PW.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., wA NNNNNNNNNNN c.

UNTT SATES PATFQN @FFllflE.

ROBERT GEAUER, OF LOS ANSI-FILES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOARTHUR C. HARPER, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BEET TOPPER AND LOADER.

Application filed. December 23, 1910.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT GRAUER, a subjectof the Emperor of Austria-l'lungary, having declared my intention tobecome a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles,California, have invented a new and useful Beet Topper and Loader, ofwhich the following is a specification.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide means fortopping the beets in a more economical manner by regulating more exactlythe amount of top to be removed from the beet thus preventing wastewhich now often results by cutting away too much or too little of thetop.

A further object is to provide for removing the top by a smoother andmore regular cut.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention,Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of the complete device; Fig. 1 is across section on line aa of Fig. 1; Fig. 2 is a plan; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 02 -93 of Fig. 2; with parts broken away. Fig. 4is a broken plan of a modification; Fig. 5 is a broken vertical sectionof said modification; Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of one of thebeet-retaining devices of the form of the invention illustrated in Figs.1 to 3.

Referring in detail to the drawings, upon a frame 1 are mounted wheels 2and 3 over which is passed an endless carrier 1. Upon said carrier aremounted a series of retaining devices 5 which move with said carrier tocarry the beets 6 to the rotary knife 7 against which said beets aremoved by said carrier to remove their tops. Each retaining device 5 ispivotally mounted upon a cross-piece 8 made fast to the carrier. Tnsidethe carrier each of said retaining devices is provided with a tail-piece9 carrying at its free end an antifriction roller 11. In order toautomatically move said retaining devices 5 into a position to hold thebeets in place until they reach the knife, a track 12 is provided, saidtrack having a cam portion 14: at the feed end of the car rier. When'therollers 11 encounter said cam port-ion 1 1 the retaining devices areautomatically moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 along the upper runof the carrier to hold the beets in place until they reach the knife.Said track 12 terminates near the delivery end of the machine with a re-Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

Serial No. 589,008.

lease cam portion 15 which loosens the beets after they are operatedupon by the knife. The bodies of the beets will then be removed by achute 16. Each of the retaining devices may have fingers 17, the chute16 having fingers 18 which extend between the fingers of the retainingdevices to remove the beets.

The knife 7 may be rotated by gears 19 and 21 which operatively connectsaid knife with shaft 22 of wheel 8. A shield 23 may be provided forprotection from said knife.

The beets may be conducted to the carrier through a feed-trough 2%having a slot 25 extending lengthwise through the side thereof to serveas a guide, the narrow parts of the beets between the expanded portionsof the tops and their crowns being fed into the open upper end of theslot either by hand or automatically. Supporting arms desirably formedas U-shaped yokes 26 are provided to support the guide rail 27 above theslot 25 of the trough. Similar yokes 28 are provided to support theguide rail 29 along the carrier without obstructing the forward movementof the tops. The guide slot 31 of the carrier is formed as acontinuation of slot 25 of the feed trough so that the beets may beproperly guided during their travel from the feed trough to the knife.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5 wherein is shown a modified form ofretaining device to keep the beets in place on the carrier, saidretainers consist of spring yokes 32 made fast to cross pieces 33 of thecarrier. The rail 29 of the'guide along the carrier terminates at 29short of the feed end of the carrier in order to enable the operator toplace the beets into the U-shaped springs before being carried into theslot of the guide. The beets are inserted by hand between the springarms of yokes 32, said yokes being desirably forwardly inclined in orderto make it easier to place the beets between their spring arms while thecarrier is in motion. The fingers 18 of the chute 16 remove the beetsfrom said spring yokes after the tops have been removed by the knife 7In Figs. 4 and 5 such of the other parts as are the same as alreadydescribed are similarly lettered.

In both forms the device may be driven by a belt 34 passing over apulley 35 made fast to shaft 36 to which wheel 2 is fixed.

The retaining arms 5 (best ShOWn in Fig. 6) are of spring metal topermit them to accommodate themselves more perfectly to beets ofdiflerent sizes. Said arms may have a covering 37 of cloth or leather orother protecting material (shown in section in Fig. 6) to keep them frombruising the beets.

The invention, boardly considered is not limited to the use of theretaining devices 5 and 32, but the cross-pieces 8 in combina tion withthe slotted guiding means may alone be used to keep the beets extendingtransversely of the carrier and in the right position with respect tothe width thereof during their travel to the topping knife.

By referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the arms 5 areoperated in such a manner that they assume substantially an uprightposition as they ascend at the left end of the carrier. This causes saidarms to pass readily between the bodies of the beets while they lie inthe guide slot 31 near the foot of the inclined guide slot 25, (seeFig. 1) said arms 5 being caused to clamp down automatically upon thebeets to convey them positively to the topping knife.

The guide rail 27, supported by the U- shaped members 26 (see Figs. 1and 1), cooperates with the spring fingers 5, or spring holders 32 shownin Figs. 4L and 5,

to securely hold the beets againsttransverse movement during theirtravel to the cutter 7 so that said cutter severs the tops of the beetsat the precise point required. This will be evident when it is notedthat the slot beneath the guide rail 27 is contracted to embrace the topof the beet below the bushy portion thereof, this sort of guide beingpeculiarly adapted to cooperate with the cutter in the proper removal ofthe tops of the beets.

I claim:

In a device of the character described, a carrier, a guide consisting ofa frame having a rail spaced thereabove to form a guiding slot, saidslot having an open end to provide for feeding beets to said carrier,said rail being supported by a series of outcurved U-shaped membershaving flanged ends which are secured to said frame and rail to spacethe same apart.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angelesand State of California, this 17th day of December, 1910.

ROBERT GRAUER.

Witnesses ALBERT H. MERRILL, LILLIAN YOUNG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent N 0. 1,057,636, grantedApril 1,1913,

upon the application of Robert Grauer, of Los Angeles, California, foran improvement in Beet Toppers and Loaders, an error appears in theprinted specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 9,for the Woid boardly read broadli and that the said Letters Patentshould be read With this correction therein that the same may conform tothe record of the case in the Patent Oifice.

Signed and sealed this 20th day of May, A. D., 1913.

[SEAL] C. O. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

